There are times when driving our ATV’s that we hit the limit of our onboard resources. Supplies like gasoline and water can at times be unavailable in some of the remote parts of Michigan. For example, gasoline for each ATV and a full tank will take us about 80-100 miles. When overlanding, many times we drive beyond these distances in a single day. The majority of times, we are in remote areas that do not have gas stations nearby the trails. Having a safety net of 40 to 50 miles is piece of mind.
Whether you are two-tracking, driving a side-by-side or ATV, it is good to be prepared for problems. Running out of gas or not having enough water can be avoided if you plan ahead. RotopaX is a company that makes containers for gasoline(red), diesel fuel(yellow), and water(white). At the time of this writing, containers for gasoline come in various sizes and configurations. Sizes are 1, 1.75, 2, 3, and 4 gallon. The 4 gallon container has three attachment points while the smaller versions have one. For water, 1, 1.75, and 2 gallon are available. For diesel fuel, a 2 gallon container is available.
There are three Pack Mounts that includes a lockable option. The Standard Pack Mount that is a single winged tightening system. The Deluxe Pack Mount includes a double wing tightening setup that makes the snugging up of the RotopaX easier. It is recommended that you skip to the deluxe with the lock option. Most if not all of these items can be found on Amazon. These containers can be stacked with extenders. The cap and pouring spout are spill proof. By turning the red knurled plastic ring, it unlocks the valve. Then using the protruded stopper towards the end of the spout, it pushes a spring load valve that lets the gas flow. Once the spout is backed out of the filler hole, the valve closes and locks. A nice setup that virtually makes the operation spill proof. The various brackets are all sold separately. The Pack Mounts explained a few moments ago mount to a bracket. Examples of brackets are a Universal Mounting Plate, a Single Mounting Plate, a Pax Bar Mount, and an L-Bracket.
When mounting the various brackets and plates that are available, creativity sometimes is necessary. On both of our 2018 Polaris ATV’s, we used the RotopaX L-Bracket and mounted it on the back rack. For the 570 ATV, the holes on the short part of the bracket were used with the included hardware. Since there was no rack location for the holes closest to the edge, large zip ties were used. For the 850 ATV, a small piece of garden hose and pipe strapping were used. The garden hose created friction at the round portion of the rear rack and helps prevent the approximately 15 lbs of a full gasoline container mounting point from slipping.
Another product made by RotopaX are RollpaX. These are round 1.5 gallon containers that hold gasoline(red) and water(white). For snowmobilers, RotopaX makes a SnopaX. It is a 2.5 gallon container made for snowmobiles. For motorcycles, they make something called GasFlask that is a 1.25 gallon container. Getting away from the fluid storage containers, for traction on trails, the make the RototraX in black, red, and orange. These are gripper tracks that help vehicles that are stuck to get traction.
If you want to learn more about RotopaX, checkout the video below.
